Toyota, NTT to Make $3.3 Bln R&D Investment for AI Self-Driving, Nikkei Reports

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By Hiba Akbar

Toyota and NTT are set to enhance AI self-driving with a $3.3 bln R&D investment, the Nikkei report claims. 

Key Takeaways

  • Toyota and NTT collaborated on the AI infrastructure research and development processes.
  • Companies invested $3.3 billion to improve AI self-driving in the future.
  • Preparing automobile software using AI to predict collisions and take over vehicles.
  • Currently, they are working on its system and expect to be ready by 2028.

Toyota Motor's logo.

The industry leader in vehicle production, Toyota Motors, and Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, which has expertise in telecommunications, have again joined hands. They are investing $3.3 billion to collaborate on the research and development process of building AI infrastructure to enhance self-driving, Nikkei reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, automakers and big telecom companies with headquarters in Tokyo are preparing to create automobile software that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to predict collisions and take over vehicles.

2028 will be the year of launch until they are working on its system and claim to give it a complete look in the expected year.

The autonomous driving market is expanding, and companies aim to dominate known companies in the future. This vision likely also led them to enter the world of automation and AI to bring self-driving cars to life. Japanese automakers want to be the first in the race; that’s the reason both companies are investing huge amounts in the market.

This transforming industry also made Uber launch an AI assistant powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology to help drivers transition to electric vehicles (EVs) on Oct 8, 2024.

Since 2021, Toyota’s fuel-cell Mirai has been equipped with a hands-free driving option.

In 2017, both firms agreed to collaborate on technological advancements, aiming to develop 5G-connected vehicles. They also became a capital partner in 2020 as part of a smart city initiative.

Toyota responded to Reuters that it has made no announcements regarding the material in the report. It added that it would continue to collaborate with NTT to create a future of safe and secure mobility.

NTT avoided Reuters’ requests for comment and chose to stay silent.

The leading superpower in AI-featured autonomous vehicles, Elon Musk’s Tesla always grabs the spotlight with its innovations and advancements. 

Recently, Tesla became the talk of the town after the event at Tesla Robotaxi on Oct 10. The last update says that Tesla is ready to launch the robotaxis driverless ride-hailing services in California and Texas next year amid regulatory hurdles.

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